Samsung Boosts Its Bets On 4K TV Sets And Virtual Reality-CES

Samsung is doubling down on 4K TV and virtual reality based on its opening day presentation at the International CES consumer electronics confab. The electronics giant is eager to see consumers upgrade their sets and called in Fox Worldwide Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn to unveil an industry group — the UHD Alliance — to establish standards for Ultra HD (4K) technologies. Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, and DirecTV are joining Fox on the content side while Samsung will be joined by fellow manufacturers Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp.

“We have to make it easy for consumers to know which products and what content will give them the true UHD experience” Dunn says. “The UHD Alliance will help consumers and content creators identify high-quality UHD technology. This space is evolving rapidly, with many features, such as resolution, high dynamic range, wide color gamut and immersive audio. The UHD Alliance is a huge step forward for our industry. We’re focused on breaking down barriers and innovating.”

Samsung brought the Fox exec back to endorse its new line of SUHD TV sets which the electronics company says are 2.5 times brighter than conventional HDTVs and have 64 times the”color expression.” Samsung EVP Joe Stinziano says the technology “will help Hollywood make your movies look as great in your home as they do on the screen.” Dunn said that the collaboration between Samsung and the Fox Innovation Lab “is already showing results” adding that they will continue to look for “ways to enhance the consumer experience.”

Meanwhile, Samsung says that it will offer new content every day — including sports clips and music videos — for its Gear VR virtual reality headsets. It also says that Walking Dead Executive Producer David Alpert will produce VR videos.